A New Jersey restaurant owner has harnessed the power of 18 advanced drones to help find missing pets, spanning dogs and cats to even a cow.
Michael Parziale, 64, runs a nonprofit called Unmanned Search and Rescue (USAR) out of Manasquan. Since its inception two years ago, his team has located 122 animals across the state.
He shared, “I’m doing this in memory of my father, who fought in World War II, and my two grandfathers, who served in World War I. It’s my way of giving back to veterans.”
Parziale explained that USAR not only conducts pet rescues but also provides training in drone operations for veterans at no charge. “They can go on to work in search and rescue or even jobs like aerial surveying and photography. Without some profit, it’s tough to keep a nonprofit going,” he noted.
The idea for USAR emerged after he helped locate an intellectually disabled man who had been missing for three days near Toms River. “The pastor asked if I could assist,” Parziale recalled. “We found him in just over an hour. He was in a swamp and could have succumbed to hypothermia soon after.”
Following this success, someone requested help in finding a lost pet, and after achieving that, he decided to focus on animal rescues. “I just got really good at it,” he admitted.
As word of his achievements spread, USAR grew rapidly. Parziale, an FAA-certified drone operator, also uses funding from his GoFundMe page to assist retired seniors with pet searches, seeing this as a community service.
“Every dollar goes directly to that,” he emphasized.
He works alongside his two sons, Michael John, 27, and Jonathan, 17, plus a rotating group of volunteers. Parziale mentioned that when people contact him about their missing pets, the emotional toll is evident. “I once had a woman sobbing on my shoulder; her shirt was soaked!” he recalled. “For many, pets are like family.”
Last February, for instance, a 5-month-old puppy named Shade went missing. Gina Manfredi, the owner, shared how Shade, startled by a noise, bolted during a walk. “It was getting dark and cold, with a light snow starting to fall,” she recalled.
After a full day of searching, Gina was at her wit’s end and turned to the USAR team. Parziale promptly found Shade in just 41 minutes.
“Michael gives his time and expertise to help those who can’t afford professional services,” Gina expressed in a Facebook post. She also shared a moving video about her experience. “It’s a beautiful reminder of the kindness out there… Even though the world can feel uneasy, experiences like this show that goodness prevails,” she added.
When called upon, Parziale travels anywhere in New Jersey, from Cape May to the northern mountains. “We launch the drone about half a mile from the area,” he explained. “Our drones can technically fly up to 21,000 feet, but regulations cap them at 400 feet. We make sure to inform any local airports if we’re flying nearby.”
With a commercial pilot background spanning 45 years, Parziale also deploys drones during disasters. When hurricanes strike the East Coast, he utilizes special drones to assess flood and landslide damage from above, aiding initial response efforts.
